ITEM ONE
Recommend adding the following line to the Cat DPS Rotation section:
0. Keep up FFF unless you have a good boomkin who knows how important Imp FF is to the raid's damage.
If you have the luxury of always running in an optimized raid comp the point is moot. But for the rest of us it's not. Examples: The boomkin is sick or filling in for the Resto Druid, or it's late in the week, everyone's saved and you end up in the 2nd-string/half-pug 10-man hard mode group that has no boomkin.
Starting a bossfight with FFF before Mangle also slows down your initial aggro-gain for a precious 1.5 seconds. With Cower useless and Vigilance/Hand of Salvation at a premium or not available this is a real concern.
ITEM TWO
Please forgive me for digging up something from two pages ago, but I keep ending up coming back to the same one of Boevis' posts and I see no relevant discussion of this issue anywhere else on this forum:
Originally Posted by Boevis
Keep in mind the TF bonus only lasts 6 seconds and has a 30 second cooldown, with Berserk lasting 15 seconds this gives you a 9 second window in which to pool energy for the Berserk, this is essentially perfect because Berserk is on the GCD so you'll get to 100 energy before you can use another ability, though with lag and the unlikelyhood that you'll be at 0 before this 9 second period, you're better off Berserking at 7 or 8 seconds after TF wears off (17-16 seconds left on the TF Cooldown is a handy point). Ideally, you should refresh Mangle and Rake during the TF Bonus, but don't clip Rake in order to do so, likely you can delay the activation of TF (or Berserk, which will also delay TF) but that may be worse than simply having Rake downtime.
|
Admittedly there a few static fights in today's endgame raiding and Boevis' post is way more in-depth and micromanaging than the vast majority of feral players will ever achieve, but I'd still love to hear views on the absolute max-dps opening sequence on something like General Vezax or Lord Jaraxx based on this. The problem being in that TF is not on cd and you'd want to use it asap, but not overlap it with Berserk, which is also available - while still not giving the tank early aggro problems in the absence of him using a Speed Potion while running in, or Vigilance et al. Burning Berserk early seems to be a larger issue on progression hard modes when you don't know if getting one more last Berserk will make the difference later on in the fight (given no boss mechanic that calls for reserving Berserk early on, or trying to stack Berserk/Shattering Throw).
Maximizing your utility to the raid probably does not lie in maximizing your own dps. Ergo:
(Assuming very good player timing and no early Clearcasting procs on a hard mode/progression night boss. GCD adds 15 energy as far as I know.)
0. Pop a Potion of Speed as close to, but not before entering Combat, assuming you can rely on not having aggro issues early.
[Enter Combat]
1. FFF unless the boomkin can be relied upon to put it up in the first second of the fight. (Apply while running up, FC to close gap.)
2. Mangle, cost 40 energy - total energy now 60, begin GCD
[1s GCD]
3. SR, cost 25 energy - total energy now 25+, begin GCD
[1s GCD]
4. Rake - absolutely must have SR/Mangle up before Rake, cost 35 energy, total energy now 00 or slightly more, begin GCD.
5. TF is off the GCD but must be pressed after Rake. Energy total now 60+.
[1s GCD]
6. Berserk now, get Hysteria, possibly pull aggro unless you have Vigilance/Hand of Salv?
or
6. Shred, cost 42 energy, total now ~28, begin GCD.
[1s GCD]
7. Shred asap, cost 42 energy, total now ~00, begin GCD.
[1s GCD]
8. if 5CP then Rip asap, cost 30 energy, total now ~00, begin GCD. If not 5CP then 8a.
8a. Shred, cost 42 energy, total now ~00, begin GCD.
[1s GCD]
9.
AY, THERE'S THE RUB - You're at low energy, TF still has a few seconds to go and you want Berserk on CD asap so you can maximize the number of them for the duration of the fight, knowing that the last part of the fight will possibly be the most critical, with people dead, a soon-to-be-enraged boss and things falling apart because it's progression night.
Do you wait for the energy to get up to 50-85 and then Berserk?
Do you continue your rotation as per FbN or FaceMauler or your instincts, and Berserk when you have a longer-lasting SR?
Do you Berserk before the first application of Rip (barring boss mechanic that you need to save it for)?
Do you give up on making maximum usage of the first TF buff and just use it as an initial way to get to 100 energy for an early - but inefficiently used - Berserk - i.e., put it in at step (5) above?
Is my timeline above simply way out of whack somehow?
Please keep in mind that I'm only concerned with this issue due to occasionally pulling aggro early on in a hard mode/progression fight where my very-not-hardcore guild is barely able to hope for an eventual win. Being the Hysteria target makes it even more important when and when not to Berserk. Calling for an early Hand of Salv may be the solution, but I don't always get Vigilance, even when we run our normal Warrior tank.